Meter box cover



7 April 28, 1959 J 5 QR 2,883,853

METER BOX QOVER Filed May 25, 1956 J .5, Form Attorneys a meter or other similar item is set.

United States Patent METER BOX COVER Jay S. Forni, Emeryville, Califl, assignor to George P. Eorgi, doing business as Forni Mfg. Co., Emeryville,

Application May 23, 1956, Serial No. 586,861

1 Claim. (Cl. 72-100) This invention relates to meter box covers and particularly to meter box doors which are made of metal and which are adapted to be inserted in a preformed concrete meter box and cover.

In the past it has been common to provide a preformed concrete box which forms a chamber in which Such boxes have usually been closed with a cover made of either metal or concrete which could be removed to enable the reading of the meter or its repair. The box is usually so installed that the cover is substantially flush with the ground or the surrounding surface so as to leave no obstruction.

It has been customary in the past, before reading the meter, to lift the cover off the box or to provide an insert or door in the cover that may be removed. It is an object of this invention to provide a hinged metal door in a concrete cover while obviating the necessity of a metal frame in the cover surrounding the door.

Another problem encountered with boxes of this kind has been the accumulation of muck about the inserted metal door which renders it ditficult to open the door when it is desired.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will appear from the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 illustrates the metal door of my invention showing the surrounding concrete cover in dotted lines;

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional detail of a meter box construction showing my invention and indicating a meter disposed therein;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional detail of my metal cover taken along the line 3--3 of Figure 4, and

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional detail taken along the line 44 of Figure 3.

As illustrated particularly in the drawings, the concrete meter box is set in the ground in such a manner that it accommodates the meter. The top of the box is coplanar with the ground and its inner edge is provided with a lip which is adapted to support a concrete cover 11. The concrete cover 11 is provided with an orifice at about its center, which orifice is adapted to be closed by a swinging metal door or lid 12. A portion of the sidewall defining the orifice is rabbeted to provide a ledge to receive a flanged portion of the lid.

As illustrated in the drawings, I have provided a metal insert or bracket 13 which is adapted to be formed integrally with the cover 11 and which will be poured therewith. The top 14 of the metal insert 13 is U- shaped and is coplanar with the top of the cover 11 and the surrounding ground. The metal insert 13 is provided with a depending flange or lip 16 along the bight of U and extending along the outer edge thereof which is embedded in the concrete which forms the cover 11 and the member 13 is provided with a pair of flanges 17 which support a pin 18 through holes formed 2,883,853 Patented Apr. 28, 1959 in the flanges 17. The pin 18 passes through similar or cooperating holes in the cars 19 on the lower side of the door 12 and the flanges 17, the pin 18 and the ears 19 form a hinge. It will be noted that there is no lip or ledge under the hinged portion of the door which will collect dirt and debris and hinder or prevent raising and lowering of the door. It will also be noted, with reference to Fig. 3, that the flanges 17 are integral with the flange 16, thereby adding to the rigidity of the struc ture.

It will be clear from the foregoing that I have prm vided a metal door which is adapted to be supported at one end by a hinge which is supported free and clear of all other portions of the cast cover 11, so that regardless of the seepage and the carrying of trash and dirt by water or wind or any other means, the end of the door 12 adjacent the metallic insert 13 will always be free of dirt and there will be no possibility of jamming or wedging.

In constructing the cover 11, a suitable die is used to form the exterior edges thereof and the orifice which accommodates door 12. The orifice is provided with a set-back portion to provide a ledge to receive the door 12. The entire assembly 12 and 13 can be inserted in the wet concrete before it sets in such a manner that the entire assembly will become a permanent part of the cover 11 and cannot be removed there from by vandals and others without breaking the entire cover 11 which is, of course, formed of reinforced concrete. Reinforcing bars may be positioned in both the box 10 and the cover 11 in any suitable manner to provide a rigid construction.

I claim:

In a meter box cover, a cover member formed of concrete and having a substantially fiat upper surface, said cover member being formed with a viewing aperture, the viewing aperture having a rabbet to provide a ledge on a portion of the sidewall defining the aperture, said ledge lying in a plane parallel to the plane of the flat upper surface of the cover member, a metal U-shaped bracket mounted in the cover member about the edge of the viewing aperture and opposite said ledge, said bracket having 2. depending flange along the bight of the U and extending along the outer edge thereof embedded in the concrete cover member in spaced relation to the viewing aperture, said bracket having an upper surface flush with the upper surface of the cover member and having formed thereon, as an integral part thereof, a pair of parallel flanges on opposite ends thereof depending from the inner part of the legs of the U, said flanges being integral with said first mentioned flange, a lid normally closing said aperture and having a flange portion normally resting on said ledge, an end portion of said lid being accommodated between said parallel depending flanges, a pair of cars depending from the end portion of said lid accommodated between the parallel flanges and adjacent to said parallel flanges, and a hinge pin extending through the parallel flanges and the ears in said lid to pivotally support said lid.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,139,188 Kane May 11, 1915 1,781,280 Hasse et al. Nov. 11, 1930 1,925,635 Hartley Sept. 5, 1933 FOREIGN PATENTS 24,472. Great Britain 1906 

